TOWARDS AN INFORMATION SOCIETY  IN MOZAMBIQUE

The validity and process of the development
of national informatics policy

By Venancio Massingue

Venancio@bandla.uem.mz

Nambia 10-13 May 1998

Content

1. Background
2. PIP as a concept
3. National Informatics Policy (NIP)
4. Informatics Policy Formulation Process in Mozambique
5. And why is the government leading the process?
6. Annex

1. Background

The growing use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) worldwide has resulted in increasing awareness of the critical role that information and communication play in supporting the development process.

Modern Society depends on information. Information is a resource, as other resources such as oil, minerals, etc., whose value can be increased through processing.

In contrast to other resources, which are of limited supply and are easily exhausted when used improperly, the quantity of information available tends to increase over time, generally in a geometric progression.

As the reserves of information grow, the need for efficient means of processing, storing and transporting it also grows. Many developing countries, in particular in Latin Africa and Asia, are supporting themselves through ICTs as a means of economic and social development. It is our dream to launch SADC's own communications satellite, which could serve as the support for the mechanisms, which will create an effective and lasting development in the region.

All societies depend on some form of communications network to define their collective identities and make decisions about their common and binding interests. They make it possible for people to co-operate, to produce and exchange commodities, to share ideas and information and to assist one another in times of need. In fact every part of a society's basics rights is liberty and dignity, the right to free expression and to free movement are all facilitated by these networks.

With the potential to affect virtually all sectors of society, ICTs must no longer be seen as luxury for the elite but as an absolute necessity for the masses, especially in developing countries where plummeting costs and exploding technological possibilities offer incredible potential to improve the quality of life for every person in nation.

The new information and communication technologies perhaps offer for the first time in recent history an opportunity to uncouple a nation's natural wealth from its information richness. In the past these two have remained intimately linked.

As a result we are now seeing an elevation in the importance of informatics as a sector with a uniquely fundamental impact on society. These technologies cannot simply be treated as any other commercial sector of the economy, to be left to forces of the free market. ICT issues are a part of general public debate on development policies, not only in the cities, but even more importantly in the rural areas where the vast majority of the population live. We cannot forget that Mozambique is an agricultural country by nature.

Aside from the clearly apparent benefits for all forms of commerce, health services and education, Mozambique could have many low-cost opportunities to provide alternative cultural, tourism and entertainment possibilities. The development of the information highway will also result in many hitherto unpredicted benefits. If it is true that information highways will allow consumers to bypass the middleman sector of the economy, and thus make markets function far more efficiently, then Mozambique has a remarkable opportunity to join the highly efficient microproducers who may inherit the earth from today's lumbering industrial age dinosaurs.

The aims of this paper is to give ideas of how the process to develop a Program for the Informatization of the Country (Program da Informatizaçao do Pais - PIP) which is designed to develop the use of ICTs in supporting of Mozambique's development goals at all levels from the national, to provincial, to district and right down to the locality is being undertaken.

Back to top

2. PIP as a concept

The PIP comprises a series of sub-programs in the key areas of: government policy, infrastructure, sectoral applications (education, environments, health, agriculture etc.), and content development tools, This reflects the four areas of focus identified by the various international for a working on developing the global information society. Starting with the G7 pilot projects initiatiated by developed countries, these principles have since been further extended to the African Information Society Initiative (AISI) framework paper monitored by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and to the Southern though the Information Society and Development (ISAD) conference. Many such activities are beginning to take place in other developing countries and if Mozambique can respond quickly to the potential, it can play a leading role in developing new techniques and strategies to meet basic development needs.

For Mozambicans from all sectors to be able to benefit from the use ICT's and to fully apply the PIP, it will be necessary to consider:

• The telecommunications, information and electrical power infrastructure that must be present in all areas of the country.
• Content creation mechanisms, which are a vital element to the concept of national sovereignty. It is not possible to determine our own unique information society if we cannot create, systematize, process, store, share and keep custody of information in the country.
• An equitable education system that extends to all of the population regardless of their geographic location through the development of ICTs. In order to attain this goal teachers must be trained to improve their skills, to use ICT's and to adopt methods of ICT based teaching for the classroom.
• The health system, which needs to provide, improved accessibility, medical decision support systems at regional, national, provincial and district levels, improved access to skilled diagnosis through telemedicine and improved distribution systems for reducing costs of medical supplies.
• Our peasants and small, medium and large farmers who need to keep the history of their lands on databases to avoid loss of crops. They need to use other positive experiences from their counterparts in other countries with the same climate.
• Our public administration system, which needs improved internal revenue management, improved social security administration, efficient tendering systems and improved accessibility to national public administration information, especially for citizens who live in rural areas.
• Our natural environment, which needs monitoring of areas, threatened by environmental degradation and natural disasters, greater knowledge of the availability of natural resources and improved management and monitoring of the implementation of the environment-related projects.
• Our tourist sector which needs national and provincial tourist information systems for destinations and facilities, a mechanism to promote our unique cultural, natural m and environmental resources, and a system to provide tourism-related information and indicator that encourage and facilitate investment in tourism projects.

The convergence of these ideas and the mastering of all relevant areas will be further described by a National Informatics Policy (NIP) which should also be driven by other national development challenges such as debt management, population, unemployment job creation, industrialization, land reclamation, trade, etc. The emphasis is on the need to support decision-making at all levels and to provide information and communication infrastructure for government, business and society to enlighten the process of development.

Once developed and adopted, the NIP will be a vital instrument for the development of ICT s and their use in the country. The policy will also serve as a reference "white paper" on ITCs for government institutions to interact with donors and lenders and will also serve to provide guidelines for bi-ormulti-lateral co-operation between Mozambique and other states. The NIP will reflect how we as Mozambicans view the benefits that can be gained by using ICTs in all spheres of our country and society in general.

Back to top

3. National Informatics Policy (NIP)

3.1 Rationale

To make optimal use of ICTs in supporting national development policies and to rationalize the large number of alternative strategies emerging, Mozambique is developing a National Informatics Policy. To perform this task it became clear that a high level government working group needed to be established within the office of the President to manage the NIP. To support and advise this group a national advisory body comprising representatives from all sectors of society also needed to be established within the office of the President to manage the NIP. To support and advise this group a national advisory body comprising representatives from all sectors of society also needed to be established. Working together these two groups would be able to ensure the implementation of the NIP and chart country's best routes to information highway.

3.2. Key development areas for the NIP

3.2.1. Education and human resource development and strategies

Fundamental to exploiting the possibilities of ITCs is the development of a well-educated population. Likewise, increasing the pool of human resources is clearly a key requirement in order to get up to speed for the information superhighway onramp. Asid from implementing a massive effort to increase computer literacy, projects such as providing every pupil with access to a computer, from basic, secondary, technical and higher educational institutions upward, need to be considered.

However, the real "art" is not the connection of hardware, software or networks, but the effective exploitation of the technology by the people working with it. This demands more technical know-how, it requires a deep understanding of the culture, needs, motives and habits of the people concerned. Formal education, technical training and research all require informatics support which takes into account Mozambican culture and the needs of its people.

To improve "cultural choice competition" the government will need to develop systems of incentives to encourage the development of locally produced educational, cultural and entertainment programming so the these can create viable alternatives to the flood of information that will be available from developed countries.

3.2.2. National information and communication infrastructure the challenge of multimedia for all citizens

Because of the low levels of basic telecommunications infrastructure development, another important area where initial support will be necessary is improving the underlying telecommunications infrastructure by working closely with Telecommunication of Mozambique (TDM), by using new communication technologies such as wireless systems where applicable, and extending the services available at TDM shops.

In addition a variety of other areas will need to be focused on, including:

• Developing appropriate information delivery mechanisms.
• Developing information "content" and applications development tools.
• Ensuring the use of interfaces appropriate for generally non-literate population.
• Linking electronic information services to more traditional delivery mechanisms such as print and radio.
• Encouraging government departments such as education and health to take use of rural shared facilities to deliver their services and to absorb some of the operating costs of facilities in return for service delivery.
• Involving local communities in defining and managing ICT services and encouraging local entrepreneurs to run the service or establishing frameworks for public sector/private sector partnerships to operate service.
• Encouraging international development agencies to support ICT projects in a coordinated way that strengthens the national strategy.
• Sensitizing the international private sector to the opportunities for involvement in supplying services and equipment at discounted rates to help kick-start the development of theses facilities, to prototype the use of new technologies, and to demonstrate/market their particular solutions.

Back to top

4. Informatics Policy Formulation Process in Mozambique

Information and communication technologies used to be seen as complex subjects understood by only a few specialists in hardware and software.

Today the impact of information and communication technologies is felt in all areas of social and economic development.

Eduardo Mondlane University, serving as advisor to the Government, has been producing studies which could contribute to an effective "integration" of information and communication technologies in Mozambican society serving in this way as one of the vehicles for facilitating the development of country.

In this area, one of the base studies which was carried out was the construction of a model which serves to inter-connect the Government's five-year development program, in terms of policies and objectives for each area of development selected. From this model it was possible to see the challenges and opportunities for information and communication technologies.

In response, development projects were identified through a national workshop. These projects themselves included informatics as an integral element of support.

4.1. What motivated us to develop this model was that we had noticed that:

1. Much money is spent in Africa, or in the name of Africa, in the development of information and communication technologies, without any effective impact
2. Almost all the projects which are established or invented have a component of informatics, but this is not seen as a discipline which in itself brings other needs such as: training and retention of staff specialized in, or conversant with, informatics; the maintenance and communication technologies which are adquired; etc.
3. It is not clear what impact the introduction of ICT has on the already limited budget of the governments, the main employer and supplier of services in many African countries.
4. There is a need to empower the decision-makers with information the potential and opportunities, which ICTs offer for the implementation of development strategies.
5. There is a need for governments to give priority to the development of ICT's and ICT industry.

Thus, one of the fundamental projects identified is the development of a National Informatics Policy, whose main aims are to make optimal use of ICT in supporting national development policies and to rationalize the large numbers of alternative strategies emerging.

4.2 For the NIP, the following objectives have been identified:

• To guarantee wide access to educational, scientific and developmental resources by means of appropriate technologies resources by means of appropriate technologies.
• To ensure access to ICT s by the key economic sectors.
• To maximize the use of existing ICTs
• To ensure the training of informatics technicians and ensure they are valued.
• To promote the spread of ICTs amongst leaders and those in important positions in society, and in communities.
• To stimulate the creation of a national industry and infrastructure of ICT and ensure that benefits go to all sectors of society.
• To create a favorable environment for the development of a Mozambican information society.

The international and external environment of the African continent appears to be favorable for the development of the National Informatics Policy. In contrast to what had been happening, where on the on hand the donors appeared with computerized or informatics-based solutions and on the other hand the retailers of ICTSs appeared as the suppliers of components, the government now appears to be leading the process.

Back to top

5. And why is the government leading the process?

1. As we have said previously, ICTs cannot be seen only from the technological standpoint, but must be seen in their socio-economic, cultural and even political dimension. Thus, the government of the day needs to have an informatics policy to serve as an important support to the implementation of its program.
2. Because it is the government, which has been granted the capacity to ensure coordination of actions, both at national level and in terms of regional and international connections, in order to secure effective participation in the world economic arena.

In this context, a task force has been established which responds to the highest level of the Government of the country. This task force not only includes key ministries for development but also includes the telecommunications company, the private sector, NGOs and entities from civil society, as shown in the following diagram.

In the definition of the NIP, great emphasis is given to the process and the interaction so that the intervening parties (stakeholders) may gain the greatest benefits from ICTs.

Back to top

6. Annex

Examples of sub-programs identified

6.1. Tourism applying ICTs to support national development goals in tourism

Objectives

• To raise the quality of hotel and similar services.
• To make tourism a national industry which will bring in foreign exchange and provide employment.
• To promote a greater participation from national industry in efforts to promote tourism.
• To build up adequate legislation on tourism, including that concerned with the formalities of passport and visa issue, and questions of customs and exise. This is necessary to make the country an attractive tourist destination.

Challenges and opportunities for applying ICTs to tourism development Challenges include:

Opportunities

• Attracting more tourist and other visitors by offering high quality information and telecommunication services in tourists resorts;
• Reducing the costs of international promotions for attracting tourists.
• Increasing the visibility of the attractions of Mozambique through on line promotional campaigns.
• Building national and regional tourism-related databases for destinations and facilities.
• Providing a mechanism for virtual travel and information gathering utilizing the Internet.
• Provision of tourism-related information and indicators that encourage and facilitate investment in tourism projects.

Potential projects for applying ICTs to assist tourism projects

1. Connect selected staff of government office for tourism promotion (Ministry for Industry, Commerce and Tourism) the Internet.
2. Establish web sit(s) containing text, images video and audio files illustrating Mozambican tourism attractions.
3. Establish a resource center for tourist facility operators to be able to promote their services, capture images of their facilities and display them on the web, take bookings electronically.

6.2 Education Applying ICTs to supporting national development goals

Policy

• Improve scientific and technical knowledge
• Give priority to increasing public access to education by reconstructing and enlarging the school network, by making resources available and by improving the quality of service provision.
• Ensuring that there is a balanced regional development so that the different levels of teaching will be more accessible. Extend tertiary education to the central and northern regions and pre-university teaching to all the provinces.
• Introduce improvements in the curricula, in teacher and headmaster training, and into pedagogical production of, and trade in, traditional musical instruments.

Objectives

• To create quality of opportunity of access at all levels of teaching promoting a greater participation of women by means of incentive mechanisms of curriculum and materials, and the integration into the educational system of all children of school age, and those in difficult circumstances.
• To support initiatives of groups or associations, religious groups, private organizations and other social movements that are interested in expanding the school network and reinforcing its expansion with distance learning.
• To increase the budget of the sector and improve the quality of teaching by the development of executable schems of training, both initial and upgrading of the teachers, with the adoption of a model that will ensure a good level of general and technique-professional training and other forms of incentive for the teaching profession so as to improve the motivation and the morale of teachers.
• To increase efforts to ensure the provision of school books for all pupils and to make all possible steps to improve their writing, publication and distribution.
• To encourage private firms to produce and sell school material, especially in rural areas.
• To create a body of efficient inspectors and pedagogical supervisors linked to a local and central institution, with the main aim being the schools.
• To reinforce the institutional system and its capacity through the creation of technical and administrative competence at local level, with a view to gradually decentralizing the administration.

Challenges and opportunities for applying ICTs in education

Challenges:

• High illiteracy rates, espacially among wormen;
• Low numbers of teachers and large numbers of students per class
• Few schools and universities;
• Few libraries and very limited access to international journals;
• Lack of educational materials;
• Lack of researchers and researches facilities.

Opportunities include:

• Providing equitable remote access to resources in support of both distance education and the strengthening of local educational capacity.
• Connecting schools, universities and research centrestonational and international distance education facilities, national and international distance databases, libraries, research laboratories and computing facilities,
• Reducing communications and administrative costs by building communications networks linking all educational establishments.
• Promoting and supporting collaboration among teachers and researchers;
• Extending the each of educational facilities in informal learning, especially to community level.

Examples of potential Projects:

i) Establishing Internet connectivity to strategic educational institutions:

• Improving the connectivity within and between the tertiary educational institutions to allow more students and teachers access to the Internet.
• Assisting the primary school teacher training center to obtain connectivity and explore computer and Internet uses.
• Incorporate Internet access into programs underway for in-service teacher training. (3000 teachers are in the program).
• Establish connectivity for those institutions involved in "bookflooding" program so as to maintain the exchange of ideas with national and international partners.
• Where telecenters are being proposed, rural schools and NGOs could participate to support these centers through use of the facility and activities in content creation.

ii) Assisting in the devn content to be delivered through the internet.elopment of education

• Assisting the development of distance education curriculum materials and that can be delivered through the Internet. Development of a courseware repository project.
• Assessing the development of distance education curriculum materials and that ca be delivered through the Internet. Development of a courseware repository project.
• Assisting the University Faculty of Science and CIUEM to develop software tools to improve mathematics teaching and to bridge gaps between matriculation and university mathematics studies.
• For the bookflooding program "publish" the final version of the books complete with illustrations on a Mozambique Web Page.
• Obtain expertise and advice from more advanced education & ICT projects in other countries such as the Canadian Schoolnet and New Brunswick community access community access model (see attached background documentation).
• Assist the Ministry of Education and the Medical School at the University to collaborate with specialists in other countries with experience in telemedicine.

Projects would include:

• Awareness building (e.g. connectivity workshops, knowledge infrastructure seminars, road shows),
• Provision of equipment and connection charges (e.g., computers, modems, line lease);
• Training (for end users, content creators& service technicians).

6.3 Public Administration applying ICTs to support national development goals in public administration

Government Objectives:

Policy

• The Modernization of public functions, the promotion of human rights and the creation of conditions proper for the exercise of democratic political power.
• Administrative decentralization and an agreed autonomy of local government.
• The institutional incorporation of traditional authorities

Objectives:

• To create a normative structure suitable for the administration of the new institutional framework.
• To professionals the civil service and institionalise mechanisms to judge professional and technical merit.
• To secure the transparency and efficiency of the administrative activity.
• To lessen bureaucracy in the proceeding of public administration.
• To make rules for the proceedings of public administration
• To speed up the application process of administrative activities.
• To ensure that the members of every local community in the country have the possibility to do their work without necessarily requiring the permanent intervention of the State.
• To exchange the old local State bodies for ones that are more dynamic and active, namely the municipalities.

Challenges and Opportunities for applying ICTs to public administration issues

Challenges include:

• Limited management information structures within government;
• Technical communications constraints at all levels of public administration

Opportunities include:

• Improving internal revenue management.
• Improving social security administration
• Facilitating electronic tendering systems
• Improving accessibility to national public administration information, especially to citizens who live in rural areas.
• Supporting national and provincial coordination cooperation and standardization of regulations and legislation.
• Avoiding duplication of efforts in setting up standards.
• Protocols, procedures, guidelines, systems and tools for establishing national databases;
• Increasing access to information and knowledge of developments in the sector outside of the country.
• Decentralization of decision making to appropriate level.
• Improving collaboration and coordination across institutions working in urban affairs.

Back to top

Back to Web Resources